Rematch
by thepassingrose
Summary: A year after A.D. Life goes on, and the past is in the past. Or is it? The Liars may have won the game, but there's no guaranteeing that -A doesn't want a rematch.
1. chapter 1

_Chapter 1: Spencer_

It's been a year. A year since A.D. was once and for all, reduced to nothingness. A year since the game, in all its cruelty and insanity, was derailed. A year since Endgame. A year since my life, a life of endless suspense, hypervigilance, and constant anxiety became the life I had in college, and the life I would've imagined myself having in my freshman year of high school.

Surprisingly enough, for reasons I can't explain, I stayed in this town. This town, the pinpoint of all the drama, the ceaseless turmoil which had held us captive for far beyond its time. However, walking down Hollis Street to work came along with a new sentiment of serenity. There was no longer any need to flinch when a text came in, as the only texts I received were from those who had made saying goodbye so hard in the first place. Asides from that, I was plagued with reminders to embellish my hectic schedule, and occasional alerts from OKCupid, none of which I took the time to read.

So that was life. It was monotone, I'll admit. I didn't have anywhere to put remaining energy. I spent most of my weeks advancing on law school, and if I had enough of that, I instinctively occupied myself by helping Mom at her firm. Spare time, if there was any, was spent maintaining Bashful and taking him for a ride or two, running errands, going to appointments, finishing up Dostoyevsky's intriguing Crime and Punishment, and if there was any time at all, I spent it with my sister. God, I can't even say that without a sense of discomfort coming over me. After all this time, Alex will be the wound that doesn't heal.

Melissa was my true sister. The one who I thought was horrible in high school, and inwardly rejoiced every time she flew off to London. It was only when she came back to stay that I realized how much I had missed her, or her presence, no matter how many tensions and arguments there were. She was always around when things got big. And with her decision to stay in town, I had gotten to know her better than I'd ever known her before that. We have coffee together every Saturday, and it's not an experience I would give up. The vacant spot she had filled was now occupied, and I discovered a part of me I wouldn't have found elsewhere.

My parents (I can hardly say that either) divorced for good. I can't say it wasn't difficult to witness, but at the end, our family knows it was best. Mom will always have the first place in my heart. I love my father, but I only recently truly realized that with a man like him, I can't expect truth. I don't know where it begins and where it ends. He's a compulsive liar who can't save himself from his web of lies. And as saddening as it is, it's true. And my mother is so much better off without him, the smile on her face lights me up.

A few weeks ago, while rearranging my room as I often do, I came across a business card, which served as a reminder of my legal property, the Lost Woods. Mine and Alison's. It would need maintenance if anything was to come of it, but I couldn't bring myself to go there. I don't know if I ever could. I know Mary loved me, but she was stuck in a position where she couldn't make a move without hurting one of us. Alex and I. Only that I ended up being the recipient of it. Thinking about it saddens and angers me. I'm more angry about the fact that my twin sister permanently dented any possibility of having a relationship with my biological mother than the fact that she brought the Game back into our lives. Again, a wound that will not heal.

So I ended up putting the card into a drawer and purposefully moving my socks into it, covering it. I wondered if Alison had gone, but I knew that she'd have let me know. Or at least I thought.

The girls and I have been keeping in contact. But even that's becoming harder. Especially seeing that I'm the only unmarried one in the group. I mean, while I'm busying myself as much as I can with work and online classes, they're busying themselves with family, children, work, each other, and for Aria, the possibility of having children. At the end, I feel like the least busy of all, which is miserably ironic. I have Toby, but things have had to be taken so slowly. With my purposefully hectic schedule, and his indecisive personality. But we still love each other. And that's what matters.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: _Aria: Stream of Consciousness I_

I let myself collapse onto our Rosewood couch, pillowcases adorned with vivid textiles and yarns from South America. It had been far too long since I'd seen the best friends I'd ever have, but I needed to get away from this town. Part of me would not stop being paranoid, even after A.D. truly meant After Death. So I talked to my Mr. Fitz, months after our European honeymoon, and we decided to do something different. Something new. We travelled all throughout Central America, perusing artistic niches and exotic markets, trying new foods that put our pallet's adaptability to the test, and spending nights in hotels where we heard the salsa reverberating through the streets. We were gone for five months. Five months together, as husband and wife, in harmony, and at peace.

Of course I updated the girls on my travels, and had the occasional crazy Skype with Mom and Dad (together once and for all), but I stuck true to my promise: this trip was for Ezra and me. We would use it to reconnect and bond together, and spend time learning how to love one another without the component of fear looming over my shoulders. Although we were married, we had to start over. Adopting children had to wait. Our relationship needed reconstruction. I could be myself, I thought, as I twirled girlishly in my red, sexy dress, rose in my hair, and he swooped me up in a way that didn't adhere to the rules of salsa. But it didn't matter. We were free.

Before we set off to South America, I spent my time writing more than I had ever written before. The amount of journals I had occupied was obsessive, and Ezra's eyes bulged as he took them into account. I wrote about so much, about my feelings, my hardships, my joys and my pains. Sometimes I wrote stupid nonsense, including a poem about the staircase at the Brew and a letter to Billy Wilder, the director of my favorite film noires, who was long gone but I felt needed to know we loved him.

But alas, the year had come to an end. We flew from Buenos Aires to Philadelphia and drove to the last place we'd called home – Rosewood, with its unsettling gravitational pull. Two days ago, we arrived. I hadn't gotten around to texting the girls, but they had gotten on with their lives. Just as I started to unpack, my phone sounded off.

I instantly flinched at the sound, and then I told myself off. Being here in Rosewood gave way to old habits. I picked it up, and saw:

1 Group Message from: Alison DiLaurentis

I could once again, not help but feel uncomfortable. Out of all the girls, Alison and I had the weakest relationship. It was as if we only tolerated each other. So I opened my phone and read.

Girls,

Tomorrow. 8 pm. Grille. Be there please.

The message was too tense for a friendly reunion, I thought, as I sank my head back down on the stitched alpaca pillow.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: _Hanna_

Really? Seriously? God, of course. As I backstitched the final product of my to-be gorgeous dress, my even more gorgeous husband had a butterfingers moment, and my dress was covered in Colombian fair-express coffee.

"Oh come on!" I yelled, as he shoved Regina, our three-month old munchkin into my hands.

"Sorry. When you're resident IT specialist for Big Hastings, it takes over everything, even the physics of the coffee mug," Caleb replied, winking.

My wrath was short-lived, and I kissed him on the cheek, blushing like I had in high school, and shooing him off as he headed into the crappy sedan and off to his job as information technology specialist at Mrs. Hastings, er, Veronica's law firm. So much more nerdy than my fashionista paparazzi firm.

I looked down at our beautiful daughter, who bore his physical features, but had, as Mom said, my "obstinate and vivacious character", whatever that meant. I kissed her on the forehead, and put her down for her nap, as she started to cry.

Shoot! As intelligent and as striking of a woman as I am, I didn't give her her solution for her sickness thing. I hurriedly ran toward the medicine cabinet, and as I scrounged through it, there was a big wad of paper. I was about to attack Caleb over text for leaving his sudoku where it shouldn't be, when I saw it. I saw a photograph of the women who I hadn't talked to in five months. Life had drifted, and although we all remained in Rosewood, we had not all been together since Aria left for her honeymoon with her bed buddy, oops. Husband.

I looked at the photograph. All five of us, crowded into a selfie, post-smartphone, post-war. I smiled, knowing that the five of us had progressed through one of the hugest hurdles together, and that our friendship was so unique, we didn't need constant communication to nourish it. One of these days, I told myself, I would send Spence or Em a conversation-starting tweet. But for now, my daughter needed solution.

I took her, and was reminded of all the good things that come out of difficult times, and smirked, given that what I just thought was one of Spencer's crazy brainiac quotes. Suddenly, like it was expecting me, my phone buzzed.

"Caleb Rivers, if you're bothering me again…" I started, to no one in particular, as I headed towards it.

I Group Message…

From Ali Dee. "Tomorrow. 8 pm. Grille. Be there please."

Alison…? Wow. I'd have thought she'd be out of it too, mommy of twins and English teacher. But apparently not enough to dissuade her from a good old reunion of the bad girls, I thought, as I got out more fabric and continued to work.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: _Emily_

"Go! Go! Go!", the audience chanted, reverberating through the high school pool, as Hadley St. Germain swam length after length in a fluid, silklike motion, her head popping up first. Rosewood was proud. I, as her coach, was prouder, and smiled from ear to ear, clapping.

Hadley St. Germain was the most talented JV swimmer we'd had in a long time. Through cultivating athletic passion like hers, I had reached my own. The joy of movement could be shared by so many, and it was my honor to bring that along.

Now, as Hadley exited the pool, smiling modestly at the ecstatic audience, I approached her.

"Hadley, that was amazing. Your practice really paid off. I really do think you should pursue varsity."

She, as prone to her nature, giggled nervously and thanked me, avoiding the subject of varsity, before scurrying off into the locker room, leaving the other girls sizing her up in awe and envy.

"Careful there. Might not want years past to cloud your judgment," a voice said, clear and precise, coming from behind me.

I wheeled around, almost tripping over a long, white cane. Jenna Marshall smirked at me from beneath her large black shades, concealing her unseeing eyes. In years past ominous and rarely seen, I had seen her everyday here at Rosewood since she'd accepted the life skills teaching position. Although I'd grown used to seeing her, she still retained a threatening and inexplicable aura, even after the end of A.

"Yeah, well, you seem pretty biased against me as well Jenna," I retorted rushedly, hurrying off, and leaving her in the bleachers, alone.

I headed into the parking lot, FaceTiming Alison, home after school, who was laden with Lily and Grace. I made a kissing motion towards them, as she tucked them into their crib.

"So, Em…you know, I was thinking. What do you say about a reunion with the gals?"

For a second, I was confused. Who were the gals? All of a sudden, months past that I had for no reason repressed came back. I hadn't spoken to my best friends in ages. We'd been through so much, and seemingly forgotten one another. I had started to subconsciously regret that the absence of A had distanced us.

"Well, Em? Grille or Brew?", Ali continued, her blue eyes gazing at me in that expectant yet charming way she mastered.

I thought. "Sure. The Grille works. Why all of a sudden though Al…"

"Friends forever Em. We find the way back to each other, with or without A." Her penetrating gaze continued.

After a few minutes, which mostly consisted of talking about the endeavors of Lily and Grace, I was driving home, thinking. What would I even say…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: _Alison_

Solution all over my pants became a part of everyday occurrence, and just as I was about to clean it out, I saw Emily walking down the driveway. However, I acted surprised when she came, and planted her a kiss on the cheek.

"How was your day Em? God, everyone's talking about Addison. Is it cruel of me to say that fourth period is a piece of cake now that she's gone?"

"Yes, it is. But… it's not a lie," Em replied, laughing. Her laugh made me smile in return.

"Well? What's up? Or down?" I asked, nudging her.

"Well, Hadley won swim. She really is promising."

"That's good…what else?"

"You know, is it normal that Jenna Marshall is still acting like she did in high school? Passive-aggressive yet unreadable comments?"

"Em, creeps will be creeps. Don't let it cloud your day. Not when you get to work with me as well. Notice Jenna only bothers us when we're alone. Together is better. Speaking of…"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go shower… I'll be right back," she explained, with a strange note of that I-don't-want-to-discuss-this Emily tone.

"Oh, alright then…" I looked at her as she trudged up the stairs.

Well, someone wasn't excited for a reunion. Although in honesty, it was unpleasant to have to bring them all together because of something we thought was over. But it never was.

I looked across the street, as a taxi drove by, leaving some short chick with long, wavy black hair, walking in a trendy outfit and carrying four separate bags and a suitcase.

Perfect timing. Now how in the hell would I explain this to the girls… I turned to Lily and Grace, kissed their forehead, and worked on Thursday's assignment while having my mind elsewhere.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: _A Meeting_

 _POV Spencer_

It was a Saturday evening in a small town. Birds had stopped singing, and Rosewood was just starting to sleep. In the House of Hastings, all was hectic, but accompanied by a blanketing serenity in a strange and juxtaposing way.

I shut down my computer. Enough drawling about contracts. The second I shut my computer, I was nervous. Nervous because meeting the girls was going to be bizarre. I was angry with myself, realizing that the only time we engaged each other without thinking twice was when there was an A-problem. But that was over now. A was dead. My vindictive flesh and blood was behind bars.

A pair of knuckles rapped against the barn's screen door.

"Spencer, if you took my coat, I swear to you…"

I rolled my eyes. Come on, my coat was dirty. She was hysterical. "Melissa, chill out. Here you go," I said, as I opened the screen door.

"Thank you. Don't do it again," she said, although this time I could decipher that she didn't mind it as much as she played on. "Hey, where are you going? Don't you have your midterm soon?"

"Oh…" shoot. What would I tell her? Melissa had never liked my friends. She had a reason not to, but it drug things to the surface from the murky depths of the past. "I'm meeting someone."

"Toby? Haven't you already told him?"

I rolled my eyes yet again. Toby had been hinting towards a proposal, and I already knew what I'd have to say to him.

"Melissa. He hasn't proposed. I'm not gonna do it as a PSA. Anyway, I gotta go. Tell Mom I sent her the edited report. Bye," I said at a million miles an hour, leaving her by the stables, staring at me like I had two heads.

I opened my car, sighed before starting the engine, and drove.

 _POV Hanna_

God, they never got my name right at the Brew. HANNA not HANNAH. I wondered if they had dysluksia or whatever it was called.

I continued sipping my latte and scrolling through Facebook on my phone. It was my strategy of seeing if anything notable had occurred in their lives, so I wouldn't be the dumb one out. Lets see… Spencer still hadn't done anything besides share those big political articles with brain-killing words, Emily had only posted a few pictures of her kids, (mine was the best, but those things were damn cute). Aria, a few artsy shots… this was boring. I hadn't been too active on social media since life had really started for me, but I didn't necessarily miss it.

The door opened, and in walked a slender woman with long brown hair and a pea coat. Spencer.

"Spence! Oh god! I missed you, come here."

"Han! Hey, how ARE you?"

We embraced and sat each other down.

"Okay, enough bluster, this isn't what we do. You don't know what to say when everyone else gets here."

"Hah. Spot on. Your intuition is alarming."

"Well… only because I don't know what I'm going to tell any of them either. I mean like… it's just awkward. Ya know?"

She put her hand on my arm. "Han. It's a false premonition. We're friends. The awkwardness dissipates."

"Nerds will be nerds. What's distipates?"

"Nothing important. How are you though? I haven't actually talked to you in a year, so, start talking."

I whipped out my phone. "This, is our kiddo. Gina. She'll have playdates with the others soon… business is good. They keep pressuring me into making this disgusting dress but like it's all boring and pilgrimy."

"Oh, Han." She smiled at me, and just as she was about to talk about her little life, her door opened.

 _POV Aria_

I was nervous and anxious. On the way there I tried to fight it and get rid of it, but I couldn't. As I opened the Brew door, I was internally shaking, and acted like I couldn't see Spencer and Hanna at the back couch.

"Hey, what can I get you?" Sabrina asked.

"Hey, I'll just take a small chai latte. Thanks."

A hand was placed on my shoulder. As I saw Hanna, my fear faded. Who could be scared around someone like Hanna, after all?

"Hanna!" I said, as I took my chai, simultaneously hugging her. "How is everything?"

"Okay, first of all, mutually, we all have no idea what to say to each other, so cut the crap."

"True,", I laughed. This was true, and Hanna was Hanna, not some small-talk-inclined middle-aged woman.

Spencer rose from the couch, and we hugged.

"I missed you both," she said. "You guys are all married and children, it's hard to talk to them when you're not in that club," she added, playfully, evoking laughter.

Good times.

 _POV Emily_

My mind was blank. As we drove over, Ali and I kept rehearsing what we were going to say. Deep down I knew it didn't need to be rehearsed, but it was a space filler and felt good. I would ask about work, children, spouse. But… it felt so darn boring.

"Em, it's gonna be okay," she said, squeezing my shoulder as I parked, her blue eyes full of warmth. "Now, the only way to overcome a temporary fear is to face it. Get out, I'll follow, I just have to call Mrs. Horowitz. Two minutes."

Of course she had to at that moment. I sighed, squeezed her hand, and walked awkwardly towards the Brew, as the smell of coffee and chai wafted into the evening air. Then, I saw them. I was hoping to be the first one there, but no. They all had to be there.

I ordered pumpkin spice. "Okay, Em, now that's just boring," a voice behind me said, silly in tone, Hanna-like in voice.

"Hanna, hey, god, this is awkward…" I laughed, cupping my face in my hands.

"Okay, girl, don't even. We're all here debating whether or not to ask about work or kids first. Join the club."

I took my overrated drink, and we headed to where Aria and Spencer were, as I hugged each.

 _POV Spencer_

And then… five minutes after hearing all about Aria's experience in the Andes, Hanna nonstop discussing the odious pilgrim dress, and Emily talking about same old same old plus her children, to which Hanna immediately talked about hers… Alison made her entrance. Still looking like she had last year, as if nothing had changed. Our conversations and laughter stopped as she walked in, and Hanna bounced over.

"Alison… how are you?" she said.

"I've never been better, girls. I assume you've all talked about life. I'll just say, my life is great. But, it's starting again. You see, between the five of us, we know that we're living an illusion of happiness and fantasy. Girls… that's not reality."

The four of us, myself included, looked towards the ground.

"As much as it hurts to say it… it's started again."

Silence.

"Alison. What the hell," Emily said after what felt like three minutes. "What do you mean 'it started again'? What are you talking about? Is this some kind of joke?"

Now it was Alison's turn to lower her gaze.

"I wish it was Em. It's not."

And as if on cue, our phones sounded off.

 **End**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – POV Aria

Years of black hatred seeped into the coffee shop, as a familiar yet unprecedented feeling of dread washed into the Brew. My mouth hung ajar. I had no response. None.

Suddenly, a laugh. A loud, mirthless laugh, as Spencer slapped her thigh, her cheeks going red and eyes watering.

"You guys are such unintelligent twits," she exploded. "What the hell. This is a stupid joke, and I just want to say whoever it was just say you did it because I'm out." Silence. "OUT with it, come on," she boomed. "For $*$&'s sakes couldn't you have come up with anything just a bit more original? GOD…" she erupted as she held up her phone, and we received worried and irritated looks from people enjoying late night coffee.

You think you're smart, "winning" the Game that I created. You think you're invincible, but you're just five bitchy pawns on a game board, and it's time for a remAtch.

Missed you.

-A

Emily looked austere. I looked around to see if someone was gonna crack a smile. This had to be some sort of prank. But resident prank queen Hanna looked like a stone statue.

"This is a joke right? You guys are just being trolls though right…?" said Hanna, tentatively, almost as if she were asking an angry boss for a raise.

"No," I said.

Four pairs of eyes looked at me. "No. Not one of us would have the audacity to do this. Not after it ripped our lives apart and destroyed our desire for anything. You guys, if this was a joke, it's not amusing. And I'm leaving." I grabbed my purse, but before I got up, my eyes watered and I started to sob.

POV Spencer

"I had my life together you guys! I had my damn life together! Can you guys even blame me for not wanting to see you guys? I love you girls, but all I can think about is A whenever I see you! I just can't do it! I can't! We were filing adoption papers from India and I can't please please! Please!" Aria sobbed, as Sabrina announced "closing time" and people walked out, looking over their shoulders.

"This isn't a joke, is it…" continued Hanna.

Emily laid her hand on Aria's, and looked her into the eye.

"Aria. I know you want to slap my cliche face, but you are not alone. We had lives. But this is always gonna be part of our life. It's not something we can escape, but we're sisters. The five of us. And we're gonna do this together. And we're stronger now that we have families and lives. We have more to fall back on."

Suddenly, four pairs of eyes, one of whom was emitting waterfalls, directed themselves at me.

"Your…sister…" stuttered Aria, amidst tears.

"Have you heard ANYTHING related to her? Or Mary?" interrogated Alison.

And I… I was speechless.

POV Hanna

I drove home. No. I raced home. 50 miles an hour on the main road, and none of Rosewood's finest pulled me over.

What did this mean? I didn't get it. I just didn't understand. Everything started fading.

I pulled into the driveway, and almost wheeled over Caleb.

"Hanna! Watch it! Did you not just get ticketed?"

"No."

I didn't even look at him as I answered, leaving him bewildered. I plowed into the house, past my daughter, and crashed on the bed.

I had my life together. This couldn't happen. Not now. No.

Caleb rammed into the room.

"Hanna, what is it? You couldn't have had that of a bad day. I mean, you didn't get harassed by people at the firm who mistook you for office consultants… well, besides my little coffee spill…" he knelt down, possibly to kiss my forehead, I wasn't paying attention.

"Leave."

I didn't process what I was saying. My thoughts were incompletely formed.

"…What?"

"Please leave me alone… please Caleb… please…"

"Why? Hanna. Hanna look at me. What the hell is going on?"

I stared at my wardrobe, out of which one of my finest creations protruded. And I felt empty. No longer satisfied and proud.

Then my phone sounded off. That got me out of my trance. I jumped up, and with speed I don't think I could've gone before, I grabbed it off the dresser. But he was onto me. He shoved me into the wall, and I started to cry, as he seized it.

Wake up Han. You can't have the life of a Disney princess. You're still fat underneath your fashion crap, and insecure, and that, dear is game fuel. I see you. -A

"What…what the HELL is that… No, Hanna. We have a girl. Regina needs us. OUR baby needs us."

"BURN IT."

"HANNA!"

"I SAID BURN IT!"

POV Emily

My ride home with Al was a silent one. Well, on my part. As Alison drove, she drilled me.

"Em, did Spencer tell you ANYTHING? If she did, you need to tell me NOW. We're family. We need to talk."

My silence ended. "Oh that is RICH! Alison, I could rattle off time after time where you kept something I HAD to know from me. Life or death, Alison, and your secrets stayed hidden. DO NOT lecture me on communication."

"Em… we need to get past this. I suck. I'm still a bitch, fine. But you're stuck with me. They need us. We signed up for this. And that is why if you don't tell me whether or not you heard anything about my cousin, I'm going to park in the Lost Woods and not move until you talk. I MEAN IT."

Silence.

"Emily!"

After minutes of her drilling holes into me with her blue eyes…

"Earlier… that stung."

Silence.

"I've been trying Em. I'm trying to open up. I'm trying. I'm trying to be like you Emily. Not only do I love you, but you're a role model, infinitely a better person than me… After all these years of facading… it takes its toll. Just… please… talk to me Em."

I sighed. I had to.

"I haven't talked to anyone. It hurts, and I can't do this again. It might've been a lie but I want it to continue. I just… if it's Alex… it ends now.

POV Alison

Alex Drake had to be responsible. My sweet little cousin. Who else could it possibly be? Who else would be puppeteering this, restarting the game? I scoffed. Did she really not think they'd know who she was? No. She was too smart for that. But then… why… how…

I had to find out who it was.

We all did.

That night… I resolved to talk to Spencer. I doubted silent and taciturn Em would, but I had to.

"Em." I prodded her in the bed.

No response.

I sighed, and started talking.

"Em. We need to talk to Spencer. You know that right?"

No response.

I laid back. It was time for the growth of interpersonal barriers and walls to take hold, and cement themselves into our lives once more.

End


	8. Chapter 8

The woman with long, black hair and preppy Dolce Gabana pants and a Dior top was carrying five bags, one of them a pricey Hermes handpurse. She headed down the silent street, alone.

She knew this city all too well, she thought, and smirked to herself as she took the corner down Malvillo Lane. The same corner where years before, she sought out friends like her life depended on it, and each time, was rebuffed. The same corner where as a girl, she'd been pointed at from the bus stop, where remarks were made about her frumpy sweater and pigtails.

This town really didn't function without her. It was dependent on her presence, and her sheer reasoning ability and sophistication. And clearly, she was needed again. And she would do what she had to to regain control.

Out of nowhere, her phone sounded off. She rolled her mascara-laden eyes, and answered with a huff.

"What do you want? No. Look, I said she's not here, it's not like I've been dozing the time away. Yes, I'm on top of this. Trust me. I'm smarter than you know."

She hung up. Suddenly, wrath filled her, and she mowed over a trash can.

How the absolute hell did her dolls escape HER clutches? The game was stolen again. And again, it was activated.

"Your passport, Misses?"

"Of course. My apologies. A woman can only handle so much scurrying about…"

A blonde woman in a bright red beret and a pronounced French accent stood at the customs desk at Philadelphia International Airport.

"Thank you… Welcome to Philadelphia, Estelle. How long d'ya plan on staying here in US?"

"I'm on a trip for business. And stopping to visit family. I think I'd like to stay here for a while. I feel very at home here, you see…"

The female customs official looked at Estelle, while continuing to scan her documents. "Your family, ah?" She put down the documents and looked at her for two seconds, intensely.

The girl was beautiful, she thought. She'd seen her somewhere before. Maybe from another flight. She did say she'd been here, after all. Then again, seeing over a thousand people a day had its effects.

"Well, sweetheart, I hope ya have a marvelous trip. Hope ya packed some cold-weather clothes. There's 'sposed to be a storm." The woman returned the papers to their owner.

"Oh, I am aware. Have a good night."

Alex Drake walked out of the Philadelphia Airport with her suitcase. She sighed. It was hard, remembering to speak in a French accent. In fact, juggling three accents was incredibly demanding. But she had to remain incognito.

Not only was she bound to be imprisoned for years on end after being released from that fake doll prison, but… she'd never get a chance to make things right with her sister.

A wave of melancholy washed over her as she realized that no one would ever believe the truth. The truth that seemed to be so laughable.

The truth about A.D.

The truth that the whole time, she was a pawn on someone else's game board.

And that she didn't even know who that someone was.

"Spencer, are you here?"

Toby couldn't suppress it anymore. It had been inside of him for so long. And if anyone was good at resisting a desire, he was.

He pushed open the barn door. It didn't need to be locked anymore.

"Speenceeer…"

I jolted up.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry I was just asleep."

"Asleep at two in the afternoon? How…?"

"Just… life," I smiled, hoping that would suffice.

"I had a question for you," Toby took a baby step forward in his endeavor.

"What? In case you're asking whether I want to go see The Last Jedi, you already have my answer."

"No… I had a legal question."

"Oh… oh, wait what is it?" I was concerned… why would he be asking me a legal question…

Toby seized the box in his backpack, his fingers shaking in anticipation.

He got to his knees in front of me, took out the tiny black box. He couldn't see my face morphing into panic.

"I would like to ask you, Spencer Hastings, as a future paralegal, whether I could establish personal jurisdiction on you, now… and forever…"

"…Toby…"

Toby remained there, on his knees, his blue-green eyes gazing into mine. He had rehearsed this countless times. Nothing could go wrong.

"Toby… I…"

"I love you… but…"

My heart felt like it was shattering. Instead of being instantly broken like a glass dropping to the floor, it felt as if it were. slowly being crushed by a machine.

"Toby… marriage isn't… what I want…"

Suddenly, his eyes broke. The light in them was shut off.

"I'm sorry… Toby I love you…"

I couldn't do otherwise. I grabbed my bag and ran.

It had been six hours. I had been binge watching Netflix for six hours straight, and I could swear my eyes hadn't moved from the screen. In a snap, the TV went black.

"Aria. That's enough Twin Peaks for a week!" Ezra looked at me, accusatively.

"Huh…?" I jolted out of my trance.

"Aria, since when do you binge watch like that…" Great. Now he was concerned.

"Uh… since when do I not?" I humored.

He eyed me, and sat down across from me. God, he was going to say some deep monumental thing, I could sense it.

"Look, Aria… you've been… strange lately."

"Ezra…"

"No! I'm just saying… do you want to pack up again? I know Rosewood is non-pinpoint difficult, trust me, I know."

"Ezra, I'm great. You should think about yourself. Look at us we're good. That's a lot considering everything."

He smiled.

"Well, since you're great, I'm going to do some bookwork. If I hear that TV again…"

"You won't, promise!" Aria simpered as persuasively as she could.

He left, side-eying his wife.

Suddenly, a distant voice sounded off. It sounded close but faraway.

"We're burying a body." "We're burying a body."

A recording. Hanna driving into a doctor… static… burying him.

Partners in crime always find the way back to each other, don't they?

If this isn't sent to Tanner by 2 pm on FridAy, your little Adoption dreAm will evAporate. **  
** ** _-A_**

 **Attached: 1Recording**

 *****?*****

The blinds closed. A gloved hand slid over the table, grabbed the adjacent remote, and flicked on the old, pixelated televisor.

"…And authorities are still investigating the whereabouts of prison fugitives Alexandra Drake, age 25, and her mother Mary Drake, age 52. Alexandra Drake is wanted for one count of murder, two attempted murders, repeated civil harassment and intimidation and a multitude of legal offenses. Her mother is complicit and the duo have been missing since June 16th 2016. The women may have traveled or been transferred internationally, may use aliases or have altered their appearance, and are considered to be…"

The voice of the falsely exuberant reporter trailed off as pictures of the women were shown on screen. The TV went off as a gloved hand flicked the remote again.

A hooded person got up, and yanked open a compartment room door. The smell of musty, for years unused hardware, supplies, devices, and costumes greeted them. The gloved hand reached out, affectionately stroking an all-seeing porcelain doll. The squawk of a hungry bird echoed through the dwelling. It was time for Tippi's dinner.


End file.
